NIH TO FUND NASTECH'S RNA-BASED INFLUENZA DRUGS

Nastech Pharmaceutical announced that the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a division of the NIH, awarded the company a Small Business Innovation Research grant. This award will be used to further develop the company's small-interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutics to prevent and treat both seasonal and pandemic influenza. Additional grants for program funding are still pending.

Nastech is developing siRNA therapeutics that specifically target conserved regions of the influenza viral genome, based on intellectual property obtained in February from the acquisition of Galenea. The company believes that targeting the conserved regions could enable siRNA therapeutics to be effective against both current and future strains of the influenza virus. The company further believes that the ability to treat future strains is essential in stockpiling a treatment for a potential influenza pandemic. The goals of the grant-funded research include the design and optimization of siRNAs against seasonal and avian influenza viruses, testing in vivo activity of new siRNA delivery agents and evaluating viral drug resistance mechanisms.

"The NIH funds reflect the importance of this new approach to treat influenza and recognition of the strong results we have produced. To date, we have demonstrated the effectiveness of our siRNA therapeutics to broadly target and inhibit influenza, both in vitro and in vivo," said Steven Quay, president and CEO of Nastech.

Influenza causes in 250,000 to 500,000 deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization.